‘Lincoln': A sure Oscar ticket for Day-Lewis

“And the Oscar for outstanding performance by an actor in a leading role goes to (rip, unseal) … Daniel Day-Lewis for ‘Lincoln.’ ”

If those words aren’t heard as the Academy Awards ceremony draws to a close Feb. 24 in Hollywood, I’ll be surprised. Day-Lewis is that good in Steven Spielberg’s look into the final months of the life of the 16th president (based in part on Lincoln scholar Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book “Team of Rivals”).

Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner deserve equal credit for giving Day-Lewis such a sturdy showcase. This is Lincoln the real man, not the mythological figure we read about in textbooks (or the vampire killer we saw last summer). It’s amazing that a film that’s mostly men talking (except for Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln) and smoking can be so captivating. And I had just seen “Skyfall” the day before.

Apparently, every politician and pundit in Washington also went to see “Lincoln” last weekend; the newspaper op-ed pages are full of supposed lessons we can apply to the current fiscal cliff. Some say it points to the need for compromise; others (like the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent) counter that it demonstrates the importance of knowing when NOT to compromise.

It’s no wonder the political junkies flocked to “Lincoln,” given its scenes of backroom horse-trading and arm-twisting as Lincoln tried to collect the necessary two-thirds majority needed in the House to pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery in January 1865. One history junkie I know suggested we’d love the film if we were history buffs.

True enough. But there’s lots more to recommend it, even if you only have a passing interest in history. It’s an absorbing character study of a man trying to hold two things together — the Union, and his family (both the president and first lady were still grieving privately for their son, Willie, who died at 11 of typhoid fever in February 1862). Because the Civil War, which had begun the previous spring, was going badly at the time, the Lincolns had to bury their grief along with their son. They put on a brave face for the sake of the nation.

That doesn’t mean “Lincoln” is grim and solemn, despite the family tragedy and the occasional scenes of war violence. It’s often funny. Lincoln loved to tell stories at the drop of a stovepipe hat, which often prompted an amusing, exasperated, eye-rolling “here he goes again” reaction from his closest confidantes.

Day-Lewis is so completely believable, after a time you believe you’re watching a historical re-enactment instead of a Hollywood movie. Or maybe time traveling. His pacing is nearly perfect; he doesn’t rush to dominate scenes, but speaks slowly and precisely, letting Lincoln’s hard-won wisdom and intellectual curiosity gradually reveal itself.

Much is made of Lincoln’s origins — he’s the uncouth, backwoods rube who worked his way into the White House. Watching him at work reminded me of another rough-around-the edges, Western-state politician — LBJ, whose personal habits were reportedly appalling (reports indicate watching him eat was not a pretty sight), but whose arm-twisting skills were second to none.

Day-Lewis is not a one-man band. The most memorable supporting players are David Strathairn, a steadying force and sounding board as Secretary of State William Seward; and Tommy Lee Jones, even crustier than usual as abolitionist leader Thaddeus Stevens. Jones steals at least a couple of scenes — one in Congress, putting pro-slavery blowhards in their places; another when browbeating congressman Alexander Coffroth, whom he calls “cough drop,” in a face-to-face, one-sided conversation.

But this band wouldn’t sound good with a so-so frontman. Fortunately, Day-Lewis makes that moot.

“Every day you get the chills thinking that Lincoln is sitting there right in front of you,” producer Kathleen Kennedy said during filming.

Which is why, at the very least, an Oscar nomination should be a foregone conclusion.